Whether you already have private health insurance or are currently considering it, you may be questioning whether it’s worth purchasing at this point in time. It’s no wonder many of us are confused right now. The recent cancellation of elective surgeries and the changes Aussies have had to make because of COVID-19, the question has been raised with many. There are many good reasons to be covered by private health insurance right now, and here are just a few of them…
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You’re still covered for other private hospital admissions
Despite elective surgeries being put on hold, there’s still a huge number of non-elective surgeries (usually 50% of admissions are not elective), including urgent and emergency admissions. Despite the risk of COVID-19, the risks of other illnesses and disease are still just as high and those with private health cover will still be covered for treatments related to them.
Quality private health cover providers such as GMHBA will still be covering their customers for vital treatments and surgeries, as well as allowing them to choose their own specialist for continuity of care. GMHBA members can still opt to be treated as private patients if they are admitted to a public hospital for treatment, regardless of whether their admission relates to COVID-19 or not. In fact, all members of GMHBA who are admitted to hospital for COVID-19 reasons will be covered with hospital cover, regardless of their level of hospital cover.
The elective surgery rebound
As things start getting back to normal when the pandemic subsides, it’s very likely that elective surgeries will rebound. This will likely cause a bit of a congested situation within the healthcare system, as the demand for these will rise. If you have private hospital cover though, you’ll be able to avoid the longer than normal wait times this rebound will likely cause and receive the care you need at the time you need it.
You’ll still be able to access most extras services
Even though many private health allied health services — such as physio and psychology providers — are now working from home due to social distancing measures, the team at GMHBA are striving to make it easy for their members to access extras treatments. They have done this by introducing access to telehealth physiotherapy and psychology services via new ancillary benefits. These new services are combined with the continued coverage of GMHBA’s regular ancillary services (such as emergency dental) to give members the best care in the safest way possible.
You’ll help to ease the strain on the public health system
We know this reason may not seem appealing to some, but now more than ever, we need to pull together and do what’s right for the greater good. We’re already doing that by social distancing and self-isolating and those who choose private health cover will be helping to ease thestrain on the public system. It has never been more important to ensure our public hospitals have sufficient resources to manage the potential influx of COVID-19 patients. Most people don’t realise that in many large towns and cities, there is only one hospital servicing thousands of people and during a pandemic, these hospitals just don’t have the resources to cope with an influx of patients. That’s why every spare bed counts and with private hospital cover, you’re creating those critical spare beds needed to deal with pandemic patients.
Other benefits of quality private health care right now…
Most private health care providers are taking steps to protect their current and new members. For example, GMHBA is making it easier to hold onto your health insurance, despite hardships. They’ve paused their 1st April premium increases for six months and are offering payment suspensions for those who need it due to hardship. If you’ve had to halt your membership for a short time, GMHBA have waived their minimum suspension period so members can reactivate their policy more easily. If their members need any other help, they are doing what they can to help.
As you can see, the negatives of taking up or hanging onto private health insurance right now are outweighed by the benefits. By choosing a quality provider like GMHBA, you’ll be protecting the health and wellbeing of yourself and your community.
GMHBA are a commercial partner of RESCU
